


We Do Grow, you know

by Rithebard



Category: Enchanted Arpil, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears (2020), Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/M, Gen, Tiny bit of Angst, cross over story, during movie Crypt of Tears, spoilers for the movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:26:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25154677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rithebard/pseuds/Rithebard
Summary: After the fire, at the Professors in the Crypt of Tears, Phryne decides she and Jack need to plan at a friendly club she knows. She runs into an old friend from school named Lady Caroline Dester who she is very reluctant to introduce to a still angry Jack.
Relationships: Lady Caroline Dester/Thomas Briggs, Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49





	We Do Grow, you know

**Author's Note:**

> I just read Enchanted April and I wondered what kind of friends Scrap and Phryne would be if they knew each other in school.

Phryne wants to relax with Jack, maybe get him to be less angry at her. She hasn’t explained why she married the Maharajah, she was hesitant to explain herself, not even for Jack. He was a bit less stiff with her since they fought on the Tower Bridge, she felt if they were not interrupted he might have kissed her in the alleyway, he looked like he wanted to. 

“Jack, lets go change out of these wet things?”

“Sounds like a good idea…”

“Let’s meet at the Pink Parasol, it is a favorite place of mine and then we can plan our next moves without being overheard by suspects at Lofty’s.”

Jack tilted his head and asked, “We couldn’t just go to nice café for a cup of tea?”

“Really Jack, I think we both need a drink to fight off the cold in these wet things, don’t you?

“If you say so…”

“Jack…!”

“Fine, give me the address and I will meet you there.”

Phryne quickly gave it to him, in case he changed his mind. She caught a cab back to house to change, hoping the evening would go as she wanted.

***  
Jack was so tempted to just kiss her in the rain but then the professor came, another former “friend” and he just couldn’t get over her being married after waxing on about hating the institution. 

He got out of the shower still broiling about it all, “I should be packing to catch the damn steamer home, instead she has me mixed up in one of her messes…damn it!” He said to himself in the mirror, he got out his shaving stuff, put on the hot water and looked himself right in the eye. 

“I would have kissed her. Married or not married and you know it Jack! She has my heart, she has had it for years and the lure of those damn red lips, married or not is just…!” He slammed the brush into the sink and almost got it soaking wet, he saved it, wiped it with a towel and carefully began to shave himself. He felt his chin to make sure he was clean shaven then wiped his face. He looked at himself again and sighed. “Damn her, I want her so much, I love her so much. I would risk everything for her. If the Professor did not show up I would have kissed her, I would have pulled her in my arms and I… Damn.”

***

They met at the Pink Parasol, it was a lot like the Green Mill at home, he wondered if there was someone who went from city to city making these popular dives. They were both dressed up, Phryne of course was stunning in a bright red dress, that was all silk and skin, when she took off her wrap he thought he was going to faint. She smiled at him took his arm walked to her favorite booth.

“You look beautiful as always, Miss Fisher…”

“You can’t call me Phryne? You did at the church, but...oh yes, then I was in danger…”

“I am trying to be a gentleman…”

“You are a gentleman, you don’t have to try…”

“Phryne, I think…”

“Much better, still a gentleman and using my first name.”

Jack rolled his eyes then looked at the menu, he was hungry. She smiled at him over her menu and said, “Order anything you want, my treat…”

“No…”

“Why ever not?”

“You’re a married woman…”

“Jack Robinson, I told you that it was a job, I was protecting him, he…” Her eyes widened as she recognized a woman who came into the club.

Jack’s eyebrow lifted in inquiry, Phryne swallowed, “I know her, I went to school with her.”

Jack looked across the room to the entry, he saw the second most beautiful woman in the room, in his opinion, Phryne was always the first. Well, Phryne didn’t know he was thinking that. Lady Caroline Dester who was an old school friend of Phryne’s they knew each other when they were both stunning 15-year olds. The last person Phryne wanted to introduce Jack to, when he this mad at her, was Caroline Dester, a woman who reduced most men to mush. Too late though, because Caroline noticed her, and she waived and having very good manners, Phryne waived back.

"Sigh." she thought to herself, "here goes nothing."

Caroline saw Phryne and smiled, “My goodness, she is even more beautiful then she was in school, and with a very attractive man as her escort, not as handsome as my Briggsy though.” Thought Caroline as she walked to meet her old school friend.

Both women were stunning and they had both gone through their own troubles in life, until a few years ago Caroline better known as Scrap, didn’t think she would ever move on from her losses. Then she saw an ad for a month in a beautiful villa in Italy and her life would never have been the same. She met and fell in love Thomas Briggs, after several years of just loving each other, Caroline finally accepted his marriage proposal, they were newlyweds of only one year, they spent half the year in London and half in Italy.

“Phrynekins!”

“Scrap!”

The two women hugged each other, Jack smirked, that was what Phryne’s cousin Guy called her. “I guess it was a school name, it is strange, I saw how hesitant she was to say hello to the other woman, yet they are acting like they were long lost loves. Women are strange.”

Phryne hesitated to introduce Jack because he is so angry at her and Scrap is so beautiful. All through school even at such a young age boys and men just became mush around her. They forgot how to speak and act. But looking back at Jack, he was merely looking amused, “I underestimated him again. What is wrong with me, the man has my heart, has for a long time, he should have my trust too.”

She brought Scrap to Jack and said, "Lady Caroline Dester, this is my best friend and crime fighting partner, Detective Inspector Jack Robinson.” Jack’s eyebrows shot up, “Best Friend?” He thought. “Jack this is my old school friend the beautiful Lady Caroline Dester, better known to us girls as; Scrap.”

“How do you do,” said Jack sweetly, but not at all befuddled or like mush, impressing both women.

“How do you do,” replied Scrap impressed with this man, he obviously is a superior man, and he is also obviously in love with Phryne. “It’s nice to meet you, you two are a long way from Australia.”

“It’s a long-tangled story Scrap but we are here on a job…”

“Ohhh, a mystery to solve, how delicious.”

“Not really,” said Jack, “a man was killed tonight and a friend of Phryne’s place was ransacked and set on fire…”

“And poor Jack was clobbered on the head…”

“Luckily, I have a hard head….”

“Especially since you have been hit there more times than I can count…”

“Not quite…”

Unseen by the Phryne and Jack they were so busy playfully quarreling, that a handsome dark man came up beside Caroline putting his arm around her waist. She smiled up at him, caressing his cheek, “Darling, this is an old school friend The Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher and her best “friend,” Detective Inspector Jack Robinson.”

Jack blinked he knew Briggs from Somme, they were good friends back then, he helped save Briggs from his injury to his eyes.

“Briggsy?”

“Robbo?”

The two men hugged and clapped each other on the back. The two ladies looked astonished, but smiled waiting for one of them to explain. Briggs and Jack turned to them, “Old Robbo was at the Somme with me, if it weren’t for his quick action I would have been blind or worse.”

Phryne smiled, walked up to Jack and hugged him, “That is my Jack,” Jack was about to protest, she gently put her fingers to his lips and said, “Don’t you say you didn’t do anything, I know what that battle was like.” And without his permission or even before he knew what she was doing, she kissed the stuffing out of him. Much to the amusement of their friends.

***

Phryne was driving Jack to his rooming house, he quietly asked, “Why did you kiss me?”

“Because I wanted to…I’ve been wanting to since I landed, but you were so mad at me I couldn’t.”

“But you're married…”

“I told you I did it because I had to. If I hadn’t something bad would have happened to the Maharajah.”

“What would have happened?”

“I can’t tell you…just trust me Jack, please trust me…you used to…”

Jack looked out the window and sighed, he didn’t look at her, “I will up to a point but I can’t break your vows, you must have loved him…”

“No Jack, there was no vows, it was an Indian Ceremony and I did it to help him not because I loved him.”

“Protect him from what?”

“That is what I asked you to trust me about…”

“Like you trust me?”

“Of course, I trust you.”

“Phryne, you trust me so much you were not going to introduce me to Lady Caroline…”

“Don’t be silly of course I was…”

“You can read me but I can read you too. No, you weren’t. I could see it in your eyes, the only reason you did was she was right there and you couldn’t not introduce me without being rude.”

Phryne rolled her eyes, and shrugged, “Don’t sound so smug about it. I have seen her beauty make men into babbling idiots, and your so mad at me…I thought…well….”

“That I would be susceptible?”

“A momentary lapse of judgement…”

“Hmmmm, and a tiny bit of jealously…”

“Not at all, don’t be…” she met his eyes which were sparkling and smiling for the first time since the rainy alley. “alright, just a little.”

“Well, you needn’t be, she is beautiful, but you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, no one, will ever take your place. Even when I am mad at you.”

“Are you still?”

“No.”

“You forgive me?”

“No.”

“So…”

“I am not mad at you but I haven’t forgiven you for marrying another man and not bothering to write me about it. To stop writing me and then getting yourself reported as killed…”

“I wanted to explain in person…”

She pulled over the car in front of his rooming house. Jack looked at her and said, “I'm right here, explain.”  
“I will, but not yet. Please Jack, just trust me, there is a good reason, really there is…”

“As I said, I am not mad you, I will help you with this but until you tell me I will not forgive you.” Jack got out of the car, then leaned against the door, looking through the window, “I will see Captain Templeton’s widow tomorrow, I will see you at the ball. Goodnight, Miss Fisher.” 

Phryne sighed, “Goodnight Jack.”

He nodded and turned to leave. “The most stubborn person in the world.”

Jack turned backed, shook his head, “Only the second most stubborn person in the world.” Then he turned on his heels and went into the rooming house.

“That Man!”

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, I have been thinking about this all through the end of novel and I just couldn't resist. I hope you don't mind.


End file.
